Kate Wetherall
Kate Wetherall is a member of the Mysterious Benedict Society. She is very athletic and spent the early part of her life in the circus. She is known for her bucket that dangles on her waist wherever she goes. She is very vigorous and brave. She tends to move and think really fast at times of trouble which makes the Society happy to have her. Appearance Kate is very tall with broad shoulders and long legs. She has ocean blue eyes, like Milligan's. She has long, blonde hair that she most of the time wears in a ponytail and, according to the illustration, short bangs on her forehead. (Once Kate measured her hair by hanging off of a bed. It came a few inches short, as she expected.) She is always portrayed with a red-and-white striped T-shirt and blue jeans, though it's never specified that she wears this. She is never seen without her bucket. Reynie once said, "And in that moment, with her broad shoulders and fiery look in her eyes, Kate made me glad we weren't enemies." Personality Kate, otherwise known as "The Great Kate Weather Machine," (Her rarely used, but preferred nickname), is a smart, fun-loving daredevil, and she is also adventurous. She, according to Reynie, will "show you something dramatic and then act as if you shouldn't be surprised." It's been noted on several occasions that she thinks too quickly and relies heavily on instinct. She has great faith in her own physical abilities and has proven her worth several times. She doesn't ever seem to be sad or worried; she keeps a very tough exterior. It's possible that she does things without thinking and then feels extreme guilt later; as implied in the third book (The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma). She can't ever seem to stop moving and she makes friends quickly and easily. Because of her athletic prowess, it's easy to forget that Kate gets excellent grades and considers school "easy." She cares greatly for her friends, even though her antics can get them into trouble, and has come up with nicknames for them such as "Connie girl." She is Milligan Wetherall's daughter, though she doesn't seem to have gotten her eternal cheerfulness and tendency to throw caution to the wind from him. Milligan has been known to do this, but not without great cause and as a last resort. Abilities Kate is athletic. She spent a good part of her life in the circus and learned the following skills: *Acrobatics *Falconry *Efficiency *Jumping off cliffs *Almost anything that requires physical strength *Ducking *Cleverness/ability to think of strategies on the spot *The training and ability to be shot from a cannon And others. She is very fast (Reynie can't imagine anyone being faster than her) and can take out men twice her size (and age). Kate also has a strange mathematical ability that lets her gauge distances with more accuracy than a surveyor. She can instantly tell, for example, when a room is six feet by six feet five inches. She can hold up to traveling quite well, being the least seasick member of the Society when riding the M/V Shortcut. Kate gained many of these abilities because she traveled with the circus. She studied falconry there, was an acrobat, learned to be shot from cannons, etc. Relationships Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon "Yes, but you're smarter than he is, Reynie. Also, you're not evil''." -Kate Wetherall, The Prisoner's Dilemma'' Kate and Reynie are very good friends. Reynie has always been impressed with her athletic ability, and the same thing goes for her with his brains. They have both been very protective of each other, always looking out for one another. It is subtly hinted in Prisoner's Dilemma that they may have developed slight feelings for each other. Constance Contraire "You think sorry covers it?" -Constance Contraire, The Prisoner's Dilemma "Sorry will have to do for now, Connie Girl." -Kate Wetherall, The Prisoner's Dilemma Constance and Kate annoy each other to no end, but they both care about each other deep down. This is shown whenever Kate calls Constance "Connie Girl", Constance and Kate (though Constance may not admit it,) make a great team. George "Sticky" Washington "She didn't believe me when I told her it meant 'beauty'." -Sticky Washington, The Perilous Journey "It's always best to stick to small words. If you'd said that to me, I'd have punched you." -Kate Wetherall, The Perilous Journey Kate enjoys messing with Sticky, and making sure that he doesn't become too "into himself." They are still very good friends and usually get along pretty well. Milligan "Sorry it took me so long, Katie-Cat." -Milligan, The Mysterious Benedict Society (book 1) Milligan is Kate's long-lost father, which they learn at the end of the 1st book. Milligan is constantly underestimating Kate, and learning from it. Kate loves being able to prove him wrong. Milligan has a strong love for his daughter, and affectionately refers to her as his "Katie-Cat." Kate loves Milligan and is once quoted saying "If he weren't Milligan, I'd be constantly worrying about him," while talking to Reynie. Milligan was brainwashed by Mr. Curtain and didn't even remember his name. All he could remember was "mill again," because right before he was brainwashed, he promised his daughter Kate they would go to the mill again, leading him to choose the name Milligan. His real name is never revealed. Biography Before the Series Kate is a 12-year-old girl who is an orphan. She had been living with the circus before she saw Mr. Benedict's ad. She later states that her only memory of her father is going to the mill-pond with him and asking "Can we go to the mill again?" After Milligan was captured on a mission and failed to return, she was sent to an orphanage. She wasn't pleased with orphanage life and almost immediately ran away to the circus. She ran away to the circus three more times before they let her stay. Milligan was a friend, and ally of hers for quite some time before realizing he was her father. The Mysterious Benedict Society When she was twelve, Kate saw Mr. Benedict's ad in the newspaper, said "adios" to her circus friends, and hopped a train to get to Stonetown to take the tests. She actually failed the tests, but when Number Two (known by Kate as "Old Yellow Suit") was saved by Kate from angry parents with many questions, she was allowed to go on to the next session, thus meeting Reynie and Sticky. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey The story begins at Kate Wetherall's farm, where all the children plan to stay for a few days before setting off to Stonetown to visit Mr. Benedict, who is planning to send them on an international treasure hunt to test their skills. When they arrive at Mr. Benedict's house, they receive bad news from Rhonda that Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by Ledroptha Curtain, the villain of the previous book and twin brother of Mr. Benedict. In his ransom letter, Mr. Curtain describes a certain "rare plant" and says he needs to know who the person "extremely close" to Mr. Benedict is, because that person has information about this mysterious plant. If this information is not provided to him, Mr. Benedict and Number Two will be in "grave danger". Constance reveals that Mr. Benedict gave her a letter before he was kidnapped, and told her to open it when the other children arrived. The envelope contains a message of greeting from Mr. Benedict and a nonsensical riddle. In this riddle, they discover, the words are in alphabetical order. they are in turn led to a dictionary, and then a journal, in which is another nonsensical riddle. The children discern it to mean TAKE THE SHORTCUT. The children sneak off on the M/V Shortcut, the “fastest ship in the world” and find more information that takes them to a castle in Portugal. from there, hidden evidence directs them to a library in Thernbaakagen. There they learn that the “mysterious plant” is an extremely rare growth called duskwort. It has the power, when burnt, to put entire villages to sleep for hours on end. It also is a possible antidote to Mr. Benedict’s narcolepsy. Researching the duskwort, they find that no one knows what it looks like. They travel to a hotel but are found by two of Mr. Curtain’s henchmen, called the Ten Men. However, they are rescued by Milligan, who accompanies them to find more evidence. They finally find the location of the duskwort, an abandoned island. On the island, they find a delirious Number Two, who tells them where Mr. Benedict is: the top of the mountain of the island. They are ambushed by a group of Ten Men. Milligan comes to the rescue and takes on the Ten Men. The children travel to the top of the mountain, while Milligan is backed off a fifty-foot cliff and falls onto a bed of rocks. They Discover Mr. Benedict chained to the wall in a cave. He begs them to destroy the duskwort. upon the children saying they don’t know what it looks like, he jumps up and reveals himself to be Mr. Curtain, and locks the children to the wall with the real Mr. Benedict. Mr. Curtain leaves after Mr. Benedict tells him where the duskwort is. Mr. Benedict cleverly tricks S.Q. Pedalian into unlocking their handcuffs, and they escape. Mr. Benedict falls asleep from narcolepsy, and the children are forced to carry him down the mountain. They find Milligan (extremely injured) and Mr. Benedict comes to. They race to the forest. Ten Men are surrounding them everywhere, in addition to Mr. Curtain’s amphibious vehicle being hot on their trail. Just when all seems lost, the mighty figure of the SHORTCUT races into the bay at top speed. It grounds on the shore, pinning Ten Men to the ground, and allowing the children to climb on board. after a final standoff, Mr. Curtain escapes, and the children, Mr. Benedict, and Number Two are reunited with their families. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma In the third installment of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, Constance, and various loved ones find themselves holed up in Mr. Benedict's house, which is teeming with security. The evil Mr. Curtain is at large and hunting for the Whisperer -- now in Mr. Benedict's possession -- so he can try again to control minds from afar. When a shady businessman shows up with false records that say he's Constance's father, it compels Mr. Benedict to use the Whisperer to uncover her short past. Distraught and confused after all is revealed, Constance runs away, with the whole household after her -- just the distraction Mr. Curtain and his men need to steal the Whisperer and set his evil plans in motion. Of course, the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society soon find themselves on his trail. They cover their tracks by leaving false clues for the Society, but the Society doesn't notice until too late. In complete accordance with her personality, Kate rushes headlong into Curtain's trap with Reynie, Sticky, and Constance trying to warn her. She ends up getting them all captured. Later, when they're trying to escape, they realize that Kate is the only one who has a chance. Sticky tells her to go, even if only she can get out. But Kate is seen by a Ten Man as she scouted the area. The Ten Men don't hurry as Kate runs to the Salamander. Kate finds out why - McCraken is waiting for her inside. When Kate returns to her friends, she describes what she outside. Sticky and Reynie figure that they were in a real prison that was for demolition. They were on Third Island. They plan another way to escape and come to the idea of using Constance's amazing abilities. Constance sends a message to Mr. Benedict of were they were. After concentrating hard and long, she gets an image in her head. Unsure if it was a dream, for she had fallen asleep because the image had made her relax, or a message, The Mysterious Benedict Society discuss what it meant. Quotes 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' " Is that really the best you can say? An average-looking boy? An awful lot of boys are average-looking, S.Q.!' And poor S.Q., he just kept arguing that 'this boy was especially average-looking. " "Well, of course it's not funny, Reynie Muldoon. But what do you want me to do? Cry?" 'The Perilous Journey' "Good grief! They're going to call us inside soon, and Sticky hasn't even met Madge yet!" "Who's Madge?" "Her Majesty the Queen!" ~ Kate and Sticky, respectively 'The Prisoner's Dilemma' "So what's your team called?" asked Kate, twisting her legs into a pretzel-like configuration, "We're called the Winmates because we're inmates who win." Kate looked back and forth at Reynie and Constance, searching their expression for signs of delight. "You gave yourselves a name?" asked Constance. Now it was Kate's turn to be baffled. "You didn't? How can you have a team without a name?" "You know, I'm starting to regret finding you." "Alleged! Possible!" "Fine! Get it over with and go back to your precious, nasty work!" "But that would be rude. We were whispering about you ''Crawlings, after all, and I'm afraid we weren't saying very nice things." "''Even if you catch me, I'll fight you. And believe me, you won't like it." — Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma) Trivia *Kate is the oldest member of the Society. She is twelve years old in The Mysterious Benedict Society and celebrates her thirteenth birthday before ''The Perilous Journey''. *Kate is the only member of the Society who hasn't used the Whisperer. *Kate is the only member of the Society who could (and did) win a fight against a Ten Man. *Kate is the only member of the Society whose room is neat. *She is quite famous amongst the Ten Men, as she is deemed the most dangerous Society member in direct confrontations. *She is the most adventurous and is the most resourceful. *Kate is the tallest Mysterious Benedict Society Member *She has trained herself to regurgitate, which she does with a key, in the second book. *She got a falcon for her 13th birthday named Madge (Her Majesty The Queen). *According to the first book, her zodiac sign is Taurus, suggesting that her birthday is between April 21st and May 21st. * Kate's home by the farm is about a mile away from the nearest small town. * She was a good swimmer by the time she was two. * She was apprenticed under a falcon trainer in the circus. According to the legal requirements for owning a falcon, this apprenticeship must have lasted at least two years. * In order to have received a falconry permit, Kate had to have gotten at least an 80% on the state falconry exam. As she was part of a circus, it's likely she had to have taken the federal exam as well to have permission to go state to state with it. * She is extremely athletic. * For fans who ship Kate and Reynie, interestingly their ship name is Katie, which is what Kate is called by her father. Category:Mysterious Benedict Society Members Category:Characters Category:The Wetheralls